Syrian rebels welcome US missile attack

A rebel commander in Homs said that the missile strike was positively received among rebel factions in the province, according to reports.

U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) conducts strike operations while in the Mediterranean Sea which U.S. Defense Department said was a part of cruise missile strike against Syria on April 7, 2017. Ford Williams/Courtesy U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS

Rebel factions in Syria have welcomed the US missile strike on an air base in Syria’s central province of Homs, a media report said on Friday. A rebel commander in Homs said that the missile strike was positively received among rebel factions in the province, Xinhua news agency reported. Rebels support such strikes and everything that can reduce the power of the Syrian air force, he said.

The Jaish al-Tawhid rebel group, located in the northern countryside of Homs, also hailed the attack, saying it’s the “first step for the international community to shoulder their responsibilities.” Another rebel group, Failaq al-Sham, said the US missile attack “could be a turning point in the western stances and to move from words to deeds” against the Syrian government and its army.

The rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) described the US attack as a turning point in “eliminating the impunity” and a “military pressure against the Syrian army to put an end to its violations.”